Alan MacLeod
Alan MacLeod is a member of the Glasgow University Media Group. He is author of "Bad News From Venezuela: 20 Years of Fake News and Misreporting." His latest book, Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent, was published by Routledge in May 2019. Follow him on Twitter: @AlanRMacLeod
Articles by this author
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Views Sunday, April 18, 2021 'Divisive': How Corporate Media Dismiss Ideas Unpopular With Elites New York Times columnist Paul Krugman (Twitter, 12/29/20 ) described a $2,000 Covid relief check as "divisive," even though 75% of Americans (and 72% of Republicans) wanted the government to prioritize another universal payment. All too often, words such as "divisive," "contentious," or "... Read more |
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Views Thursday, March 18, 2021 Dismay Over the Freeing of Lula Da Silva Illustrates the Opposition of the Business Press to Human Rights and the Rule of Law The Brazilian Supreme Court this month dismissed all charges against former President Luis Inacio "Lula" da Silva. A towering figure in national politics, Lula was the country's president for eight years between 2003 and 2011. He was later convicted on highly dubious corruption charges and spent 18... Read more |
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Views Tuesday, January 26, 2021 Like Clockwork, Corporate Media Become Deficit Hawks When It Comes to Passing Progressive Legislation A Democrat has assumed office, and so, like clockwork, corporate media are here to play their favorite game of pretending to suddenly be deeply concerned with the deficit and the national debt. Debt has risen sharply after a Covid-induced economic crash and rounds of enormous Trump tax cuts (the... Read more |
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Views Sunday, January 17, 2021 Trump’s Social Media Ban May Be Justified, But That Doesn’t Mean Power of Big Tech Isn’t Dangerous In the wake of the dramatic storming of the Capitol last week, a host of big media companies, including Facebook , Reddit , Pinterest , Twitch , YouTube , Snapchat , Instagram and TikTok , have all taken measures against Donald Trump. Making the most headlines, however, was the decision of the... Read more |
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Views Saturday, January 09, 2021 Billionaire-Owned Media Look Out for Neediest by Demanding They Get No More Money A lot of extremely rich people seem to be against the idea of giving money to the rest of us. In recent weeks, as the US continues to flounder amidst a surging Covid-19 epidemic, a wide range of political figures, from Bernie Sanders to Donald Trump, have come out in support of a one-time $2,000... Read more |
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Views Saturday, December 26, 2020 ‘Freedom Is Blossoming’: After Dismembering a Journalist, Saudi Arabia Goes on a PR Spree "Freedom is blossoming." That is how, without a shred of irony, CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson describes Saudi Arabia in his recent article ( CNN , 12/5/20 ). Visiting the kingdom, he informs us, it has "changed beyond recognition" since his last stay. All around him, there was "... Read more |
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Views Friday, October 23, 2020 Media Outlets Owned by Billionaires Very Quick to Tell Readers Taxing the Rich Is Bad Idea The coronavirus pandemic has greatly increased wealth inequality in the United States, a key issue in the upcoming presidential election. Polls are currently looking good for the Democrats, many of whom have been murmuring about—or even demanding—a new wealth tax. Recent surveys show the idea is... Read more |
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Views Saturday, September 26, 2020 Julian Assange: Press Shows Little Interest in Media ‘Trial of Century’ Labeled the media “trial of the century,” WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s extradition hearing is currently taking place in London—although you might not have heard if you’re relying solely on corporate media for news. If extradited, Assange faces 175 years in a Colorado supermax prison , often... Read more |
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Views Sunday, August 02, 2020 Media's "Cancel Culture" Debate Obscures Direct Threats to First Amendment A short and rather vaguely worded open letter published in Harper's Magazine ( 7/7/20 ) earlier this month caused an unlikely media storm that continues to rumble on. Glossing over right-wing threats to the First Amendment, the letter, signed by 150 writers, journalists and other public figures,... Read more |
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Views Wednesday, July 22, 2020 How NOT to Resist Trump: Kayleigh McEnany’s Anti-Science Comments Media, particularly those who have made a habit of rhetorically opposing Donald Trump for the past four years, were awash last week with White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany’s controversial statements on reopening public schools in the middle of a pandemic. For example: “McEnany on School... Read more |